System for the Acquisition of Local Goods and Services

ABSTRACT

A system for the acquisition of local goods and services is presented. The system is an Internet website that advertises and promotes local commerce. The website includes functionalities and features that allow local organizations, such as businesses, charities, and non-profit organizations to manage their web presence. The organizations can issue coupons, display information, and communicate directly with other organizations. The system can be offered as software as a service and can act as a portal to the local business community that is hosted by a hosting organization.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/696,269 filed on Sep. 3, 2012 entitled “Buy it Local Business Marketing Website”, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to methods for pairing consumers with producers, and more specifically, pairing consumers with local organizations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An ever-increasing number of online providers of goods and services, coupled with unprecedented and exponential growth of online consumer traffic has placed consumers of online goods and services at risk of experiencing information and advertising overload. Every day, more than three thousand domain names are registered through Network Solutions, Inc. (“NSI”) for just the “.com”, “.net” and “.org” versions of domain names. Moreover, tens of thousands of new users join the Internet each day across the world, a rate which even according to the most skeptical predictions will continue to experience exponential growth. With less than half of all companies in the United States currently offering goods and services online, the real crush of online commerce has yet to be experienced.

In an increasingly complex marketplace, and the ever-expanding surplus of information, it may be difficult for individuals to ascertain which goods and services fit desired criteria. It is not uncommon for individuals to prefer locally sourced goods and services, as there are many communal benefits to shopping locally. Unfortunately, many smaller businesses may not have the want, or ability, to own and furnish an informative website. Furthermore, studies have shown that many consumers are unaware of the number or location of businesses within their community. It could be said there lies a need for increasing awareness of local businesses in an effort to stimulate a community's economy.

Web-based search methods are well known within the art. These are often owned largely by one sole proprietor, and tend to include vast amounts of information spanning the Internet. Several disadvantages stem from this, as the inquiries are often regionally ambiguous. The goods and services offered in rural Alaska may not serve the needs of individuals in suburban Texas, and as such, it could be said that there lies a need for a method to modify or otherwise tailor the modality to fit the needs of a specific community. The present invention meets this need by providing a hosting organization within the community with a Software as a Service (SaaS) package that is installed on the system provider's servers, but can be modified and adjusted to meet region-specific needs and customs. The Software as a Service package is intended to facilitate transactions between local consumers and local businesses, local services, and local organizations.

Another disadvantage of web-based search methods, is the unprofitable properties of the search product. Free, web-based products do not benefit software distributors, nor do they present the manufacturer with a marketable, in-hand product that can be sold for profit. The present invention is a lucrative software package that economically benefits those that develop and distribute the package.

Customization of website features is known within the art. Many companies have specific ways of presenting their products online. This may range from company logos to specific fonts used within their domains. Unfortunately, web-based search methods offer a static presentation, and do not offer local businesses the ability to easily customize their appearance in the results. Online merchants may prefer to advertise only local goods and services. The present invention allows the user and merchants to modify and customize the presentation of the search method, allowing for content more appropriate for local economies.

Within the art, the type of results stemming from a search inquiry must be considered. Many Internet engines are proficient at producing volumes of products stemming from one or two key words. The addition of regional wording may yield results containing locally sourced products. Unfortunately, this limits the results of most searches by only offering products, and not presenting the user with services as well. The present invention allows the user to search for locally sourced goods and services.

Another benefit of the present invention is that it provides hosting organizations with the ability to customize the invention by adding numerous features to the content. These features may include, but are not limited to, the ability to connect with local groups, bulletin boards, or the ability to post messages. These features also help stimulate the local economy by connecting businesses through a common forum thereby allowing them to synchronize their efforts and work together to reach local consumers.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a system for the acquisition of local goods or services. The system enables consumers in a community to quickly and efficiently locate goods or services that are provided by local organizations. The system can be monetized by offering it as a Software as a Service. The system enables hosting organizations, such as local Chambers of Commerce or interested persons, to facilitate transactions between local consumers and businesses for the purposes of stimulating a community's economy.

Users begin using the system by registering as a business or as a shopper. If a user registers as a business, they are given a business page once they complete registration. The business can input information and create coupons and advertisements that are displayed to shoppers. A shopper can use the system to locate desired goods or services without having to register.

The preceding brief description is intended to merely outline some functions and advantages of the present invention. The following disclosure will set forth other functions and advantages of the present invention along with novel features that distinguish the present invention from the prior art. It is to be understood that the following disclosure is by no means intended to limit the scope of the present invention or any of its embodiments. It is also to be understood that the accompanying illustrations are presented for descriptive purposes only and similarly are not intended to limit the scope of present invention or any of its embodiments. The following disclosure and accompanying illustrations may describe various features of novelty that characterize the invention. The invention does not reside any particular feature when taken in the singular, but in the combination of features as described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE IMAGE(S)

FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating the process for providing local goods or services to a consumer as according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for the acquisition of local goods or services as according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a web-based service front-end signup as according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a table showing a dashboard management table as according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a home page as according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a featured coupons page as according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an ads page as according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a wallet page as according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a businesses page as according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a business detail page as according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a coupon create page as according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a coupon image upload page as according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a coupon edit page as according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a coupon approve page as according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a water cooler page as according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A further understanding of the present invention can be obtained by reference to a preferred embodiment set forth in the accompanying description. Although the illustrated embodiments are merely exemplary of methods for carrying out the present invention, both the organization and method of operation of the invention, in general, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, may be more easily understood by reference to the illustrations and the following description. The figures are not intended to limit the scope of this invention, but merely to clarify and exemplify the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying images that show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. It is to be understood that the various embodiments of the invention, although different, are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Furthermore, a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described herein in connection with one embodiment may be implemented within other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, it is to be understood that the location or arrangement of individual elements within each disclosed embodiment may be modified without departing from the scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by appended claims, appropriately interpreted, along with the full range of equivalents to which the claims are entitled.

In a manner described below, the data processing aspects of the present invention may be implemented, in part, by programs that are executed by a computer. The term “computer” as used herein includes any device that electronically executes one or more programs, such as personal computers (PCs), hand-held devices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, routers, gateways, hubs and the like. The term “program” as used herein includes applications, routines, objects, components, data structures and the like that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The term “program” as used herein further may connote a single program application or module or multiple applications or program modules acting in concert. The data processing aspects of the invention also may be employed in distributed computing environments, where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, programs may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Further, the purpose of the Abstract herein is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The Abstract is neither intended to define the invention of this application nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Likewise, the terms “embodiment(s) of the invention”, “alternative embodiment(s)”, and “exemplary embodiment(s)” do not require that all embodiments of the apparatus include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation. The following descriptions of the preferred embodiments are merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or use.

For the purpose of clarity, all like elements mentioned in this description will have the same designations and numbering. The terms “system for the acquisition of local goods or services”, “buy it local business marketing website”, “local business marketing website”, “buy it local website”, “system”, “invention”, and “present invention” may be used interchangeably. Furthermore, the terms “coupons” and “advertisements” may be used interchangeably. In addition to the functions, features, components, and abilities of the website already discussed in this specification, the website may also have, but not be limited to, the following features contained within the description below.

Furthermore, the terms “SaaS provider” and “service provider” may be used interchangeably. For the purposes of this disclosure, these terms refer to a party such as an individual, business, company, organization, or other entity that provides or offers the system for the acquisition of local goods. It should be known that to be an SaaS provider or a service provider, the party need only make the system for the acquisition of local goods available, or offer to make available, to another party. Selling the system is not required for a party to be considered an SaaS provider or a service provider.

The term “local consumer” is meant to include people residing within the same community as the business, service provider, charity, or non-profit organization, as well as travelers that pass through a community. While the travelers are in the same community as the business, service provider, charity, or non-profit organization, they are considered local consumers for the purposes of this disclosure.

Several preferred embodiments of the system for the acquisition of local goods or services are discussed in this section. However, the invention is not limited to these embodiments. A system for the acquisition of local goods or services, as according to the present invention, is any system that enables consumers in a community to quickly and efficiently locate goods or services that are provided by local organizations. Some embodiments of the present invention provide instant methods for local organizations to advertise local specials, provide a web presence for organizations that do not have a web site, provide a means to increase traffic to those organizations that have a website, provide a local trip savings display, provide a “give it back to the community” program, and entice the local community to buy it local. Still other embodiments of the present invention provide a web-based software product that enables hosting organizations, such as local Chambers of Commerce or interested persons, to facilitate transactions between local consumers and businesses for the purposes of stimulating a community's economy. The system can be offered as a SaaS product and can act as a portal to the local business community. By offering the system as an SaaS product, developers and software distributors have economic incentive to continue developing the system to meet consumer needs and improve overall effectiveness.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a flowchart illustrating the process for providing local goods or services to a consumer as according to one embodiment of the present invention. The process begins when a consumer realizes that they require a local good or service (100). To find the required good or service, the consumer accesses the Internet to search for a good or service (101). The user performs a general Internet search which directs the user to a page within the local commerce website (101). The user can then browse or search within the local commerce website to locate additional local goods or services (102). The user can also access a homepage within the local commerce website that has a search tool and menus for assisting the user in locating local goods and services. The home page (FIG. 5) of the local commerce website accessed by the consumer is one part of the system for acquiring local goods or services. Once the home page (FIG. 5) has been accessed, the consumer searches for the requisite good or service, or browses for the good or services using menus located on the website (102). The home page (FIG. 5) has a search tool (FIG. 5, (505)) to help consumers find their desired good or service. After a search query has been entered, or the consumer browses to a business that offers the good or service they seek, the local commerce website returns the desired information (103). This information includes, but is not limited to, the cost of the good or service in question, the location, address, or hours of the business providing the good or service, or the number of units in stock. The consumer then evaluates the returned information (104) to decide whether or not they wish to transact with the located business (105). The consumer can make shopping decisions such as whether the cost is acceptable or the distance to the located business is not too far when deciding to transact with the business (105). If the consumer decides to transact with the located business (105), they have a choice of whether to order the good or service from the local commerce website, order the good or service over the phone (106), or travel to the business (107) to purchase the good or service in person (108). Tools within the local commerce website can help the consumer make these decisions. One tool is a gas calculator that estimates the cost of fuel required to reach the business. In one embodiment of the present invention, another tool provides a reference distance to a known location, or approximate distances based on 1, 2, 3, or 5 mile circles from the place of business. The tool provides the cost to reach the business based on the time required to reach the business and monetary fuel estimates.

After the consumer has purchased the good or service (108), they can repeat the process if additional goods or services are required (109). If additional goods or services are not required, the process ends.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a block diagram of an exemplary system for the acquisition of local goods or services as according to one embodiment of the present. The system has a tracking & reporting subsystem (200) that tracks released systems. It contains the high level information about the current active systems. This high level information can include, but is not limited to, the activity of individual systems, the number of users using each system, the number of hits, and a dashboard of system metrics. The tracking & reporting subsystem (200) is used to generate reports for individual systems.

The system has a marketing subsystem (201) that is used to demonstrate and sell the system for the acquisition of local goods or services. The marketing subsystem (201) contains package prices for the system, sample web pages from the system, and demonstrations of the system in operation. Customers looking to purchase the system are hosting organizations. These hosting organizations include, but are not limited to, Chambers of Commerce, businesses within the community served by the system, interested individuals, Downtown Associations, or other similar entities. When a hosting organization decides to buy the system, it is automatically instantiated on the servers provided by the SaaS provider. The system can be sold to multiple hosting organizations as represented by Host A (204), Host B (205), and Host C (206).

The system has a service installation subsystem (202) that installs the system when the hosting organization completes the purchase process. Once installed, the newly instantiated system is added to the tracking database of the tracking & reporting subsystem (200).

The system has a billing & accounting subsystem (203). The billing & accounting subsystem (203) tracks the users of the system. The billing & accounting subsystem (203) generates output that can be used by many accounting packages. The billing & accounting subsystem (203) tracks the status of each hosting organization using the system. Information reported as part of status tracking can include, but is not limited to, the date each hosting organization paid their last bill, the next billing date, the purchased package level, and the trial period. Monthly invoices are sent out by the subsystem (203) with all monies paid to the system provider. In some embodiments of the present invention, an account is set-up with the hosting organizations and/or the business members. Included in the account information is the permission to charge their debit or credit card account on a monthly basis. Debiting their cards will be performed using a gateway and an associated merchant bank and system as normally used in the e-commerce world. In other embodiments of the present invention, an ACH direct account withdrawal system will be used to charge the hosting organization and/or the business members.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a block diagram showing a web-based service front-end signup as according to one embodiment of the present invention. The front-end signup is the process that hosting organizations proceed through when purchasing the present invention to use in their community. The front-end signup process begins with a hosting organization customer navigating to the server of the system provider (302). Navigation to the system provider server (302) occurs through a network (301), usually the Internet. Communicating through the Internet allows access to the system to hosting organizations nation or worldwide. For some embodiments of the present invention, the network (301) can also be a Wide Area Network (WAN) or a Local Area Network (LAN).

The system provider server (300) is the web server of the developer of the system for the acquisition of local goods or services, a reseller of the system, or a distributor of the system. The hosting organization then browses the marketing materials (303) located on the system provider server (300).

The marketing materials are located in the marketing subsystem (FIG. 2, 201) and contain the package prices for the system, sample web pages from the system, and demonstrations of the system in operation.

After browsing the marketing materials (303), the hosting organization selects the package to buy (304). The package selection information is sent to the system provider server (300) and the system provider server (300) transacts with the hosting organization to complete the purchase process (305). Once the purchase process is complete (305), the system provider server (300) sends a link to the hosting organization to begin site initialization (306). The site initialization process instantiates the system for the acquisition of local goods or services on servers provided by the SaaS provider. The site initialization process also prepares the system for use in the hosting organization's community. A link is sent to the hosting organization when the system is ready. The host can then customize the system, and begin populating the system with content.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is shown a table showing a dashboard management table as according to an embodiment of the present invention. Each released system is managed at a central website. The central website can access any of the hosting organization's systems for the purposes of providing support or administering upgrades or revisions. The central website will generate reports for purposes of managing hosting organization systems. A dashboard management table is a tool used to indicate the health or status of the hosting organization systems. It should be noted that for purposes of the present invention, a hosting organization system is an embodiment of the present invention that has been sold, copied, or otherwise made available to a hosting organization, through a sales or trial period type of transaction. The hosting organization's system operates in the hosting organization's community to enable consumers in the community to quickly and efficiently locate goods or services provided by local businesses. Some embodiments of the present invention also enable consumers to donate to local charities or non-profit organizations, view upcoming community events, or receive other information about the community.

The dashboard management table contains fields of information for assessing the status of hosting organization systems. The Hosting Organization ID column (400) contains a unique identifier for each hosting organization. The number of business owners column (401) indicates how many business owners are subscribed to a particular hosting organization's system. The Payment Status column (402) contains indicators that indicate the payment status for a hosting organization. A positive, green (407), indicator that indicates the hosting organization and all business owners have paid for the month. An intermediate, yellow (408), indicator means the hosting organization has paid for the month, but one or more business owners have not. A negative, red (409), indicator means the hosting organization or five or more business have not paid for the month.

Some embodiments of the present invention require the hosting organization to pay the system provider to use the system. Other embodiments require the business owners to pay the system provider to use the system. Still other embodiments require the hosting organization and the business owners to pay the system provider to use the system.

The Ping Time column (404) contains indicators that indicate the status of ping times to a hosting organization's system. A positive indicator, green (407), means a ping was returned in less than 100 ms. An intermediate, yellow (408), indicator means a ping was returned between 100 ms and 200 ms. A negative, red (409), indicator means a ping was returned in over 201 ms.

The LinkBacks column (404) indicates whether product linkbacks in a system are in place. A linkback is a link from the business owner's external web page back to the system's web page. The system's web page provides links to the business owner's external web page. To increase SEO rankings, the business owner must provide a link (a linkback) to the system's web page. Using linkbacks in the system increases the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) rating for the system thereby increasing its standing in search engine results. Increasing the SEO rating will draw more consumers to the system and increase its benefit in local communities. A positive, green (407), LinkBack indicator means that all requested linkbacks are in place. An intermediate, yellow (408), indicator means that one or more linkbacks have been missing for 12 hours. A negative, red (409), indicator means that five or more linkbacks have been missing for 12 hours.

The Ticket Status column (405) indicates whether tickets for a hosting organization's system are open. Tickets are help or customer service issues opened because of questions or problems that have arisen with a hosting organization's system. A positive, green (407), indicator means no tickets are open. An intermediate, yellow (408), indicator means that one to four tickets are open. A negative, red (409), indicator means that five or more tickets are open.

The Overall Health (406) column indicates the status of a hosting organization's system. The Overall Health (406) is measured by collecting criteria data from a hosting organization's system. A positive, green (407), indicator means that all criteria are within normal operating parameters. An intermediate, yellow (408), indicator means that only one criterion exceeds normal parameters. A negative, red (409), criteria means that two or more criteria exceed normal parameters.

Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown a diagram illustrating a home page as according to an embodiment of the present invention. The home page has a header along the top of the page with account management tools (501). The account management tools (501) allow a user to login to their account, or to register for a new account. Users of the system include consumers, a person that uses the system to locate goods or services, or organizations, a person that uses the site to offer goods or services. Organizations include businesses, charities, non-profit organizations, or like organizations that offer goods or services to consumers using the system. The system includes features intended to be used by different types of users. A consumer, but not a business, may use the ads page (FIG. 7) while a business, but not a consumer, may use the coupon create page (FIG. 11). However, in some embodiments there may be overlap between which users use particular features. By way of example, a business may search the ads page (FIG. 7) to evaluate the price points of products offered by its competition.

A wallet button (502) takes users to a wallet page (FIG. 8). The wallet page (FIG. 8) will be discussed in further detail below. A coupon bar (503) along the top of the home page is an advertisement space containing one or more coupons for local organizations. Organizations may have to pay an additional fee to have coupons appear on the coupon bar (503). The coupon bar (503) contains coupons with links for each coupon that allows a user to click-through to obtain more information about the coupon. Next to the coupon bar (503) is a hosting organization identifier (500). The hosting organization identifier (500) identifies the organization that has provided the system. Users can click on the identifier (500) to be taken to a page containing additional information about the hosting organization. A navigation menu (504) allows users to navigate to pages within the system. The navigation menu (504) is present on most pages within the system thereby providing for quick and efficient navigation throughout the system. The home page has a search tool (505) where users search for goods or services. Results will link users to an organization's page within the system where the user can obtain the desired good or service. The home page has buttons (506, 507, 508) that link users to internal pages within the system. The buttons include a coupon button (506), a business button (507), and an ads button (508). When a user clicks on these buttons, they are linked to the corresponding page within the system.

Throughout the system, a character (509) attracts the attention of users and offers incentives or deals to the users. In some embodiments of the present invention, the character (509) is named Buy it Local and is referred to by the acronym BiL. Other embodiments of the present invention may use different characters, and different numbers of characters. The character (509) can change in appearance for certain holidays or events. In some embodiments of the present invention, the character (509) will wear a cowboy hat if the community has an upcoming rodeo. Businesses may also use the character (509) in games to attract the attention of users. In some embodiments of the present invention, users will be rewarded if they are able to catch the character (509). In other embodiments of the present invention, the character (509) will offer coupons redeemable at particular business pages. The character (509) can appear as a still image, or as an animated image. It is within the scope of the present invention that sound may be included as part of the character's animation. It is also within the scope of the present invention that sound alone may be used to attract the attention of users. Thus, embodiments of the present invention include a still-image character, an animated character or characters without sound, an animated character or characters with sound, or the use of sound by itself to attract the attention of users and offer incentives or deals to the users.

The home page has an about link (510) that informs users about the system. Information displayed to users by following the about link (510) is customizable by the system provider or the hosting organization. The home page has a business registration link (511) that links to the registration page for businesses or organizations. Businesses begin using the system when by following the business registration link (511) and completing registration. The home page has a shopper registration link (512). The shopper registration link is used by consumers to register as shoppers in the system. Once a user registers as a shopper, they can use the system to locate desired goods or services. For purposes of this disclosure, the terms “shopper” and “consumer” are interchangeable.

A bottom banner (513) is located along the bottom of the home page and many other pages within the system. The bottom banner (513) contains useful site information such as contact information for the hosting organization or system provider, usage and privacy policies, and information about the hosting organization or system provider.

Referring now to FIG. 6, there is shown a featured coupons page as according to an embodiment of the present invention. The featured coupons page has coupons (515) for goods or services offered by organizations using the system. The coupons (515) list the amount of money saved per coupon, or provide other information regarding special incentives for consumers. In some embodiments of the present invention, the coupons (515) are sorted by the amount of savings per coupon (515), or alphabetically by business. The coupons (515) are for goods or services that are found locally within the user's community. The coupons (515) can be text, images, or a combination of texts and images. A user can click on the coupon (515) to be taken to the page of the organization offering the coupon (515), or can click on an add to wallet button (514). The add to wallet button (514) adds the coupon (515) to a user's wallet. The wallet function and related system page will be discussed in detail below.

Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown a diagram illustrating an ads page as according to an embodiment of the present invention. The ads page has advertisements (516) for goods or services offered by organizations using the system. The advertisements (516) list information about the goods or service being advertised. This information can include the nature of the good or service, as well as the price of the good or service. In some embodiments of the present invention, the advertisements (516) are sorted alphabetically by business, or sorted according to a fee structure where advertisements (516) appear higher in the list if a business pays an additional fee. The advertisements (516) are for goods or services that are found locally within the user's community. The advertisements (516) can be text, images, or a combination of texts and images. A user can click on the advertisements (516) to be taken to the page of the organization offering the advertisement (516), or can click on an add to wallet button (514). The add to wallet button (514) adds the advertisements (516) to a user's wallet. The wallet function and related system page will be discussed in detail below.

Referring now to FIG. 8, there is shown a diagram illustrating a wallet page as according to an embodiment of the present invention. The wallet page lists all of the coupons (515) or advertisements (FIG. 7 (516)) that the user added by pressing the add to wallet button (FIGS. 6, 7 (514)). The wallet page contains a wallet management window (517) that allows users to toggle between viewing their stored coupons (515), advertisements (FIG. 7 (516)), and a shopping list (518). Users can print selected coupons (515) advertisements (FIG. 7 (516)), or their shopping list (518) using the print selected button in the wallet management window (517). Users can also delete expired coupons (515) or advertisements (FIG. 7 (516)) using the delete expired button in the wallet management window (517). In some embodiments of the present invention, the shopping list (518) contains goods or services found in the coupons (515) or advertisements (FIG. 7 (516)). In other embodiments of the present invention, the shopping list (518) contains goods or services not found in the coupons (515) or advertisements (FIG. 7 (516)). In yet other embodiments of the present invention, the shopping list (518) contains a combination of goods or services from the coupons (515) or advertisements (FIG. 7 (516)) and goods or services not found in the coupons (515) or advertisements (FIG. 7 (516)).

Referring now to FIG. 9, there is shown a diagram illustrating a businesses page as according to an embodiment of the present invention. The businesses page allows users to browse businesses to locate desired goods or services. The businesses page has a business menu (519) that allows users to browse for businesses by category. Clicking on category keywords within the menu (519) directs users to pages within the system containing the relevant businesses. The businesses page has business information links (520) containing text, pictures or text and pictures relating to a particular business. The business information links (520) can contain the business's hours of operation, phone number, location, brief description, or other information as configured by the business. A user can click on a business information link (520) to be taken to the business's detail page (FIG. 10).

Referring now to FIG. 10, there is shown a diagram illustrating a business detail page as according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed information for a business is shown in a business detail window (521). The detailed information window provides users with necessary business information so that the user knows the location of the business and when the business is open. The business detail window (521) may contain, but is not limited to, a business's hours of operation, location, trademark, logo, map showing the location of the business, product information, or other information included by the system or business owner. The business detail page can also show the business's coupons (515) or advertisements (516).

Referring now to FIG. 11, there is shown a diagram illustrating a coupon create page as according to an embodiment of the present invention. The coupon create page is used by organizations such as businesses, charities, or non-profit organizations to create coupons (FIGS. 6, 8, 10, 13 (515)) that are displayed throughout the system. The coupon create page is the first step in a four-part process for creating coupons (FIGS. 6, 8, 10, 13 (515)). Organizations are guided through the coupon create process by a coupon management window (522) that contains descriptions and links to each step in the process. The process begins when an organization chooses a format (523) for their coupon (FIGS. 6, 8, 10, 13 (515)). The format can be either an image and a text, or text only. Once the user chooses the format, they proceed to the upload image step by clicking the upload image link in the coupon management window (522).

Referring now to FIG. 12, there is shown a coupon image upload page as according to an embodiment of the present invention. The coupon image upload step is the second step of the coupon create process. The coupon image upload page is shown to an organization after they have chosen a format for their coupon (FIGS. 6, 8, 10, 13 (515)). The coupon management window (522) indicates that the organization is in the second step of the coupon create process by showing the upload image link in an altered color or shade. If an organization chose the text and image format (FIG. 11 (523)) for their coupon (FIGS. 6, 8, 10, 13 (515)), they can use the coupon image upload tool (524) to select an image to upload. Once the image has been uploaded, the organization proceeds to the next step of the coupon create process.

Referring now to FIG. 13, there is shown a diagram illustrating a coupon edit page as according to an embodiment of the present invention. The coupon edit step is the third step of the coupon create process. The coupon edit page is shown to an organization after they have uploaded an image for their coupon (515). The coupon management window (522) indicates that the organization is in the third step of the coupon create process by showing the enter info link in an altered color or shade. The coupon edit page contains a coupon information tool (526) that allows organizations to enter information about their coupon (515). The information may include, but is not limited to, the publication date, the start and end dates for the coupon (515), the title of the coupon (515), the color of the coupon, a description of the goods or services offered in the coupon (515), the coupon's (515) offer which may be any discounts or special incentives, font controls, and the border color of the coupon (515). The coupon edit page also contains a preview of the coupon (515) being created. Once coupon information has been entered, the organization proceeds to the next step of the coupon create process.

Referring now to FIG. 14, there is shown a diagram illustrating a coupon approve page as according to an embodiment of the present invention. The coupon edit step is the fourth step of the coupon create process. The coupon edit page is shown to an organization after they have entered the information for their coupon. The coupon management window (522) indicates that the organization is in the fourth step of the coupon create process by showing the approve link in an altered color or shade. The coupon approve page contains coupon approval buttons (527) that allow an organization to go back to the enter info step, approve their newly created coupon (515), or approve their coupon (515) and add it to favorites.

The present invention includes an advertisement creation process similar to that of the above-mentioned coupon create process. The advertisement creation process contains similar walk-through steps that can be used by local organizations to create their advertisements (FIGS. 7,10 (516)).

Embodiments of the present invention include multimedia coupons or advertisements. The coupon create process and the advertisement create process allows local organizations to create coupons or advertisements that have animations, or sounds, or both. Furthermore, when technology allows, the present invention will also allow local organizations to create coupons or advertisements that contain smells. A particular smell or a combination of smells can be added to a coupon or an advertisement by a local organization.

Embodiments of the present invention include computer-implemented tools that gather data about the behaviors of shoppers using the system. These tools are referred to as analytics for purposes of this disclosure. The analytics allow businesses to explore and use the gathered data to aid the businesses in becoming more effective in meeting the needs of the local community. Data gathered by the analytics is stored in a database within the system for mining the as needed.

In some embodiments of the present invention, data is gathered by tracking search words or phrases that are being used in their local community. The search words or phrases are analyzed as a part of the analytical process for helping a community's businesses know what shoppers are interested in potentially buying. The analytics information can be reported to the host organization to help businesses determine what to offer shoppers.

In some embodiments of the present invention, information gathered by the analytics tools is used to help businesses discover which ads or coupons are effective by reporting the number of “clicks” on their ad or coupon, the number of times an ad or coupon is added to the wallet, or the number of times the ad or coupon is printed.

The aforementioned uses are in addition to the tracking of page hits and clicks that is generally available as part of standard analytic collection tools.

Referring now to FIG. 15, there is shown a diagram illustrating a water cooler page as according to an embodiment of the present invention. The water cooler page provides an avenue for businesses to communicate with other businesses. By providing for inter-business communication, the system allows businesses to work together to plan sales such as side walk sales, special holiday sales, and closeouts. The water cooler page also facilitates for coordination between businesses to help stimulate local economies. The water cooler page contains a water cooler window (528) that provides a chat feature between businesses, or between businesses and other organizations such as charities or non-profit organizations. The water cooler window (528) contains messages from organizations (529), or messages from the hosting organization (529). To communicate using the water cooler window (528), an organization enters their message in the reply box (531) then hits the post button. The message is posted to the water cooler window (528).

As set forth in this description and the attached images, an improved system for the acquisition of local goods or services has been developed that improves upon conventional Internet advertising services. The various embodiments of the improved system for the acquisition of local goods or services described herein can be used in many communities nationwide or worldwide.

It should be noted that embodiments of the above-mentioned system are implemented by instructions executed on a computer. More specifically, software running on a network server, such as an Internet-enabled server, executes commands that enable the system to operate in the manner described above. This software can be viewed as a series of machine-implemented steps that provide the functionality of the system. The machine-implemented steps transforms user input, both consumer and organization input, into a functional system for allowing consumers to acquire local goods and services.

Of course, persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the configuration of the system illustrated in the embodiments may vary. Additionally, although this patent discloses embodiments including, among other components, software or firmware executed on hardware, it should be noted that such embodiments are merely illustrative and should not be considered as limiting. For example, it is contemplated that any or all of these hardware and software components could be embodied exclusively in hardware, exclusively in software, exclusively in firmware or in some combination of hardware, firmware and/or software. Accordingly, persons of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the above described examples are not the only way to implement such embodiments.

At least some of the above described embodiments are implemented by one or more software and/or firmware programs running on a computer processor. However, dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to, an ASIC, programmable logic arrays and other hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement some or all of the example methods and/or apparatus described herein, either in whole or in part. Furthermore, alternative software implementations including, but not limited to, distributed processing or component/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also be constructed to implement the example methods and/or apparatus described herein.

It should also be noted that the example software and/or firmware implementations described herein are optionally stored on a tangible storage medium, such as: a magnetic medium (e.g., a disk or tape); a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a disk; or a solid state medium such as a memory card or other package that houses one or more read-only (non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable (volatile) memories; or a signal containing computer instructions. A digital file attachment to e-mail or other self-contained information archive or set of archives is considered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, the example software and/or firmware described herein can be stored on a tangible storage medium or distribution medium such as those described above or equivalents and successor media.

To the extent the above specification describes example components and functions with reference to particular devices, standards and/or protocols, it is understood that the teachings of this disclosure are not limited to such devices, standards and/or protocols. Such systems are periodically superseded by faster or more efficient systems having the same general purpose. Accordingly, replacement devices, standards and/or protocols having the same general functions

The preceding exemplary embodiments are not intended to be limiting, but are merely illustrative for the possible uses of the system for the acquisition of local goods or services.

Although certain example apparatus and articles of manufacture have been described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all apparatus and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope of the invention either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the system for the acquisition of local goods or services, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and the manner of operation, and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the images and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the system for the acquisition of local goods or services.

Directional terms such as “front”, “back”, “in”, “out”, “downward”, “upper”, “lower”, “top”, “bottom”, “lateral”, “vertical” and the like have been used in the description. These terms are applicable to the embodiments shown and described in conjunction with the images. These terms are merely used for the purpose of description in connection with the images and do not necessarily apply to the positions in which the system for the acquisition of local goods or services may be used.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the system for the acquisition of local goods or services. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the system for the acquisition of local goods or services to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the system for the acquisition of local goods or services. While the above description describes various embodiments of the present invention, it will be clear that the present invention may be otherwise easily adapted to fit any configuration where a system for the acquisition of local goods or services is desired or required.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying images shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. 

We claim:
 1. An Internet-based computer system for providing goods or services to local consumers, the Internet-based computer system comprising: a series of instructions executed on a computer that cause the computer to provide: a website that facilitates the purchasing of local goods or services within a community, where the website is administrated by a hosting organization within a community and is accessible by consumers and organizations within the community; account registration processes that allow the consumers and organizations to register accounts with the website; means for the consumers to locate desired local goods or services; a coupon create function that allows the organizations to create coupons that are displayed within the website; an advertisement create function that allows the organizations to create advertisements that are displayed within the website; means for the consumers to store the coupons or advertisements; a forum that allows the organizations to communicate with each other, the forum not being viewable by the consumers; and subsystems that allow the system to be sold to a hosting organization as a Software as a Service product.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the hosting organization is a community's Chamber of Commerce, a business within the community, an interested individual within the community, or a community's Downtown Association.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the organizations are businesses, charities, or non-profit organizations.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for the consumers to locate desired local goods or services is one of: a search tool that accepts search queries entered by the consumers, or a business menu with links that direct consumers to corresponding organization pages within the system.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the coupon create and advertisement create functions further allow the organizations to create text-only coupons and advertisements, or coupons and advertisements with text and images.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for the consumers to store the coupons or advertisements is a wallet page within the system that allows consumers to print, delete, or manage their stored coupons and advertisements.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the subsystems that allow the system to be sold as a Software as a Service comprise: a marketing subsystem, a billing & accounting subsystem, a tracking & reporting subsystem, and a service installation subsystem.
 8. A system for monitoring and managing the use of a plurality of Software as a Service (SaaS) applications through the Internet, the system comprising: an Internet-based interface that connects a system provider server to the Internet wherein the interface is configured to display, select, and access the information and attributes related to the plurality of SaaS applications; a set of system provider subsystems that include: a marketing subsystem, a billing & accounting subsystem, a tracking & reporting subsystem, and a service installation subsystem; computer-implemented tools that cause a computer to gather information about users by recording search words or phrases that are entered into the system by the users in a community, the search words or phrases being analyzed as a part of an analytical process that allows a community's business to discover what shoppers are interested in purchasing; and a system for the acquisition of local goods and services that is executed on one or more computers by each of the plurality of SaaS applications wherein the system for the acquisition of local goods and services is administered by a hosting organization within a community and facilitates the purchasing of local goods or services by consumers within the community.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the information and attributes related to the plurality of SaaS applications includes: the hosting organization identification, the number of businesses within a community using the SaaS application, payment status, ping time, linkback information, ticket status, and the overall health of the SaaS application.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the marketing subsystem demonstrates and sells the SaaS application to hosting organizations.
 11. The system of claim 8 wherein the billing & accounting subsystem tracks payment information related to the users of the SaaS application and generates invoices.
 12. The system of claim 8, wherein the tracking & reporting subsystem tracks released SaaS applications and collects high level information about each application including: activity of the applications, the number of users using each system, and the number of hits for each system; wherein the tracking & reporting subsystem also generates a dashboard of system metrics for each application.
 13. The system of claim 8, wherein the service installation subsystem installs the SaaS application when the hosting organization completes a purchase process.
 14. A method for acquiring local goods or services within a community, the method comprising: providing a software product that is administered by a hosting organization within a community, providing user accounts for consumers and organizations within the community, allowing the organizations to create coupons that are displayed within the software product, allowing the organizations to display advertisements within the software product, providing means within the software product for consumers to locate local goods or services, allowing the consumers to store the organizations' coupons or advertisements, providing means within the software product for attracting consumers' attention to special offers offered by the organizations, and providing subsystems that allow the software product to be sold to the hosting organization as a Software as a Service.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the hosting organization is a community's Chamber of Commerce, a business within the community, an interested individual within the community, or a community's Downtown Association.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the organizations are businesses or charities.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein allowing the organizations to create coupons comprises providing a coupon create function that includes selecting the format of the coupon, the coupon's offer, and the start and end dates of the coupon.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein allowing the organizations to display advertisements within the software product comprises providing a business details page where detailed information about the organization and the organization's advertisement is displayed to the consumer.
 19. The method of claim 14, wherein the means within the software product for consumers to locate local goods or services is a search tool that accepts search queries from the consumer.
 20. The method of claim 14, wherein the means within the software product for attracting consumers' attention to special offers offered by the organizations is a character that can appear as a still image or an animation. 